06 July 2004
Proposed Model
for Mental Health Service to People with Intellectual Disability
Launched
The
Minister for State at the Department of Health and Children,
Tim O’Malley, TD today launched A Proposed Model for the
Delivery of a Mental Health Service for People with
Intellectual Disability
in Dublin. The document was prepared by the Faculty of
Learning Disability Psychiatry of the Irish College of Psychiatrists
- at the request of the Department of Health and Children.
Speaking at the launch, Dr.
Mary Kelly, Chairperson of the Learning Disability Faculty said,
“This is an important document which must lead to a significant
improvement and co-ordination of Psychiatry Services for our
service users. Many of our service users are extremely vulnerable
and greatly dependent on the availability and standards of service
we can offer. We do
accept that there have been great improvements in the quality
of life for people with intellectual disabilities – but psychiatric
services have not kept pace. These services are greatly under resourced
and grossly undeveloped – and in some counties we have no psychiatric
services for people with intellectual disabilities.”
The document identified the
need to develop a specialist mental health service for several
reasons to include:
¨
Special expertise
and experience is required for accurate diagnosis due to atypical
presentation of mental health disorder, communications difficulties
and the absence of subjective complaints.
¨
Special expertise
experience and treatment is also required in the management
of chronic and persistent Problem Behaviours.
¨
And drug therapy
may be complicated by a high frequency of side effects and atypical
responses. (6 factors listed in actual document).
The strategy documents lists
20 recommendations to include:
¨
That significant
reform of the mental health services for people with Intellectual
Disability population commence immediately as a matter of urgency.
¨
That funding be
reinforced and prioritised to develop quality mental health
services in all Health Board areas.
¨
That the Department
of Health and Children should be given prime responsibility
for providing the resources necessary to implement, develop
and monitor this strategy document.
¨
That the Mental
Health Commission and National Disability Authority should oversee
the implementation of the strategy and also monitor the quality
of Mental Health Services to people with intellectual disabilities.
The members of the Strategy
Sub-committee which produced the document were:
Dr. Mary Kelly, Chairperson of the Learning Disability Faculty
Dr. Verena Keane,
Secretary of the Learning Disability Faculty
Dr. Oonagh Bradley,
Dr. Philip Dodd
